Identification​This surfperch is silvery with indistinct bands or patches of dark grey or brown, and darker along the back than on the sides and belly. It has a deeply forked tail fin, and the front (spinous) section of its dorsal fin is lower than the back (rayed) part. Like other surfperches the pile perch has a deep, laterally compressed body. It gets to about 45 cm long.

Habitat & RangeThe pile perch tends to occur along rocky shorelines, particularly in areas that have some structure underwater such as kelp forests, rocky reefs, and pilings. It is found in the subtidal to depths of at least 46 m; Lamb and Hanby put its maximum depth at 80 m. It has been recorded from southeastern Alaska to central Baja California.